Recommended

Well balanced, well researched history giving a human face to a difficult period of European history. A welcome counterpoint to the many histories of WW2 focussing on battles, strategies etc and revealing the complexities & dilemmas of a small community in a momentous time. Nothing is simple & there but for the grace..we might all have been placed.

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An unusual account of the third Reich.

Through the lives of individuals living in this Southern village in Bavaria one gains an understanding of how the third Reich developed and grew. Julia Boyd's use of diaries, letters and records is very impressive.

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Absolutely Fascinating

This was excellent - hearing about the war through the experiences of a small German village was a revelation. Wonderfully researched and very well written- I highly recommend it.

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Wonderfully human

This excellent book brings the well-known story of the Third Reich to life with a focus on a community who lived through it. Humanising.

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An excellent piece of modern historical research

This book tells the story of a small Bavarian town, from the First World War to the end of the second. Everyday life is shown in all of its mundane but fascinating detail, but central to everything is the Nazis’ rise to power. The power of the state to control all aspects of everyday life is shown in frightening detail, and the mind bending facility of the Nazi propaganda machine to shape the beliefs of ordinary citizens is there for all to see. The punctilious workings of the Nazi extermination machine show German efficiency in its darkest light, To imagine that these are times best forgotten is to ignore what is still happening in parts of Europe today.

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Very interesting

I have read much on the Second World War, and much of it is very similar in nature, this book gives a vantage point that is different and very interesting.
By exploring how the Nazi regime dominated the lives of the German population, and how insidious they were among their own people, it adds a dimension to my knowledge on this subject that is intriguing and illuminating.

I would certainly recommend this book.

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fantastic book

this is a very well written book with so many stories woven though. just so interesting all the way through. although it's about the war, it doesn't feel like a war book but a story of a village in Bavaria and the people living there .
The narrator is also very good, and perfect for this book

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Frighteningly relatable stories

I'd recommend this book to anyone fascinated by the greyness of life and morality. the intimate portrait of this village brings home the frighteningly relatable reality of how easily it is to be drawn into extremist thinking or life, and how hard it is to fathom the line between democracy then dictatorship.

It highlights the complexity of ordinary people trying to live ordinary lives caught up in the retorthric and process of nazism. The book tells so many moving stories that will have you crying in sadness of peoples lives destroyed or somehow rooting for the lenient Nazi major to save his son and the Jewish townsfolk. In ways that will make you question what is it to be "good" or "evil".

So many fascinating, moving and heroic stories mixed with everyday village life. It is a brilliant book and warning for us all to be aware of how quickly it is to be swept up in something or the dangers of apathy.

Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read. It will make you question so many things about morality and human nature.

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One of the best history books I’ve read

I have been delighted with this book. I was wanting to learn a bit more about the story of the Second World War from the German perspective and this was more than I could wish for. It dealt with subject matter in a sensitive and caring manner, not shirking from the horrors but balancing them with humanity…. Sometimes with factual books, I find it necessary to stop partway through and take a breather and listen to something else, but I was so fascinated with this. I really listen to the whole book over less than a week. (I drive to work so it’s easy to find the time.). I highly recommend this for anybody that is interested in the second world War but also in what makes the modern German people.

I would have loved to have heard more from the author at the end., perhaps a personal note about how they found writing this perhaps what they left out or specifically why they put some things in. Thank you Julia Boyd for a fascinating book that I know I will come back to several times to reread or relist to.

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A Cautionary Tale

This was a brilliant insight into the way NAZI ideology initially crept into German society and steadily took over until it was too powerful to stop.

I found myself really invested in the fate of the villagers especially the ones who resisted the regime either overtly or covertly. Compelling to listen to and written and read extremely well.

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9 people found this helpful